Tuesday, July 9, 2013

bad/badly: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, July 9, 2013

bad/badly
“I feel bad” is standard English, as in “This t-shirt smells bad” (not “badly”). “I feel badly” is an incorrect hyper-correction by people who think they know better than the masses. People who are happy can correctly say they feel good, but if they say they feel well, we know they mean to say they’re healthy. However, you may impress your beloved more if you say “I need you really badly” rather than the less correct “I need you real bad.”